Victorian man fined for trekking underprepared in Blue Mountains

A VICTORIAN man, who went on a three-day trek in NSW'S Blue Mountains with only potatoes and naan bread in his pack, has been fined $500 for being poorly prepared.

The 29-year-old was winched to safety by a police helicopter following a search.

He set out from Newnes, almost 200km northwest of Sydney, on Boxing Day and told friends he planned a 150km, three-night hike to Colo Heights.

When the hiker did not reach his intended destination on Saturday, his friends' called police.

Two police helicopters and SES volunteers were involved in the search, which ended in the man being winched to safety on Saturday.

He suffered a minor ankle injury and declined treatment.

NSW Police Force Rescue and Bomb Disposal Unit Commander Brenton Charlton said the man was fined $500 under the 2009 National Parks and Wildlife Regulations for "engage in activity that risks the safety of self/others''.

"When the man set out he had with him a kilo of potatoes and naan bread,'' Insp Charlton said.

"We believed the 29-year-old placed himself and the search teams at risk through his lack of planning and preparation, and through carrying inadequate provisions.''

Police said the man's intended route through remote terrain would have been extremely difficult to complete safely and would have taken much longer than he estimated.

Insp Charlton said the man's drama was a timely reminder of the dangers of bushwalking.